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“ShadowHawk” Gets A New Writer, Offers Retailer Reward

BERKELEY, CA — 22 July, 2005 — Hot on the heels of the San Diego Comic Con International, Jim Valentino is announcing big plans for his Shadowline imprint at Image Comics, starting with a new writer for ShadowHawk, and a retailer incentive to celebrate the announcement.

To thank retailers for their continued support, Shadowline is offering an exclusive cover to ShadowHawk #6 as a token of its appreciation.

For every 5 copies of ShadowHawk #6 ordered, retailers will receive a 6th copy with an alternate cover by John Toledo and Marc Deering for free! “Retailers have been great to me and to this industry” explains Valentino. “I thought it would be a nice gesture to give THEM something for a change. So 6 on 6, the 6th is free-and yes, if you ordered 10 you get 2 for free – and my first born (or at least, a BEER on me).”

It’s not too late for retailers who haven’t ordered ShadowHawk #6 to get in on the action either, just add the appropriate number of copies to your order and you will be eligible!

Rising talent Scott Wherle takes over the writing chores on ShadowHawk with September’s Issue 5, the first of a two-part story that co-stars new Valentino creation, Blacklight.

The choice for the new writer was an easy one for Valentino. “I brought Scott in to write the Blacklight series and really liked the fresh approach he brought to it,” he said. “When Jim Keplinger, writer of the first four critically-lauded issues, said he was looking to move on to some other projects after finishing up the first arc, I didn’t have far to look for a replacement. Blacklight’s received a lot of positive buzz, much of it attributed to Scott’s clever plots and sharp dialogue. [Shadowline] editor Kris Simon and I agreed: This was a no-brainer.”

Wherle is thrilled with his new appointment, to say the least. “When somebody you admire digs your stuff and trusts you with his most popular creation, it’s the ultimate compliment,” he said. “Not to mention it’s a blast to be on the ground floor of something new, fun and altogether cool. Jim’s got big plans, and I’m honored to be part of them.”

What plans? Glad you asked.

In an effort to quell rumors that the founding Image partner’s revived line is an attempt to relive the glory days of the early 90s, Valentino assures fans nothing could be further from the truth. “We want people to know this is not your father’s…er…older brother’s Shadowline.”

While Valentino served as Image publisher, he felt it was a conflict of interest to put out his own books. “My job was to promote the work of those who entrusted their books to me, not my own work. It just made sense to me, both then and now.”

Enter: the All New, All Different Shadowline.

Valentino has brought in a cadre of talented up-and-coming creators to modernize and breathe new life into his creations, thereby altering any pre-conceived notions fans may have. Joining Wherle in the talent pool are writers Jason Rand (Small Gods, Helios), Xeric grant winner Neil Kleid (Ninety Candles), the aforementioned Jim Keplinger (Ted Noodleman, Genie) and several others too early to mention. “We’re taking a few of the core concepts and reinventing them for today’s audience, while creating all new ones,” Valentino said. “We also hope to dispel some early misconceptions. For instance, this new ShadowHawk is not the backbreaker most readers remember. He’s a 17-year-old kid learning that it takes more than slapping on some tights and a cool helmet to be a superhero.”

Valentino elaborated further. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t believe in it. These guys are turning in some fantastic work. They’ve got me excited about comics again.”

Be on the lookout in the coming weeks for more news, info and press releases from the Shadowline crew.

Image Comics is a comics and graphic novels publisher formed in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Since that time, Image has gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. There are currently four partners in Image Comics (Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino), and Image is currently divided into four major houses (Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline and Image Central). Image comics and graphic novels cover nearly every genre, sub-genre and style imaginable, offering science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. Visit www.imagecomics.com for more information. Image Comics – Putting the NEW back in to New Comic Book Day!(tm)